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President Nicolas Sarkozy has accused his far-Right election rival Marine Le Pen of creating an artificial controversy over her claim all meat in the Paris region is prepared using Islamic halal traditions.

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Campaigning on Tuesday in Rungis, home of the main wholesale food market serving the Paris metropolitan area, Sarkozy accused National Front leader Miss Le Pen of getting her facts wrong and creating an artificial controversy.

"There is no controversy here. Every year we consume 200,000 tons of meat in the Paris region and 2.5 per cent of it is kosher or halal," Mr Sarkozy said.